14 dead; over 100 missing in Sikkim flash floods
Fourteen people have died and 102 others, including 22 Army personnel, were missing after the cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta river basin, officials said on October 5. The lake outburst also resulted in the breach of the Chungthang dam, which is the largest hydropower project in the State. So far, 2,011 people have been rescued, while the calamity that happened on Wednesday affected 22,034 people, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority said in its latest bulletin.
Norwegian author Jon Fosse awarded 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature is being awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”, the Royal Swedish Academy announced on October 5. Literature laureate Fosse’s magnum opus in prose is ‘Septology’ which he completed in 2021: ‘Det andre namnet’ (2019; ‘The Other Name’, 2020), ‘Eg er ein annan’ (2020; ‘I is Another’, 2020) and ‘Eit nytt namn’ (2021; ‘A New Name’, 2021).
Delhi court sends AAP leader Sanjay Singh to ED custody till October 10
A Delhi court on October 5 sent senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate for five days, a day after he was arrested in the Delhi excise policy case.Special Judge M K Nagpal sent Singh to ED custody till October 10.
Nanded hospital deaths | Dean, paediatrician booked for culpable homicide
The acting dean and a doctor of Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Hospital in Maharashtra’s Nanded city, where 37 patients, including 18 newborns, died in a span of four days, were booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder after a woman and her infant died. Based on a complaint lodged against Dr. S.R. Wakode and the head paediatrician department Dr. Rathod by a person in connection with the death of his daughter and her newborn child at the hospital, a case under Section 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code was registered by Nanded Rural Police, Additional SP Abinash Kumar said.
Fresh violence in Manipur’s Imphal, two houses torched
Fresh violence broke out in Manipur’s Imphal West district where at least two houses were set on fire and several rounds of bullets were fired, police said on October 5. The incident happened in New Keithelmanbi in Patsoi police station area around 10 p.m. on October 4, they said. After the attack, the accused fled the spot, triggering tension in the area, they added.
PM Modi inaugurates development projects in Rajasthan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 5 launched multiple projects worth ₹5,000 crore in poll-bound Rajasthan, and asserted that they will lead to further development of the state. At a function here, Mr. Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects in sectors like road, rail, aviation, health and higher education. “The projects started today will lead to further development. Together we have to make Rajasthan a developed and prosperous state,” he said speaking at the function.
Varanasi court grants 4 more weeks to ASI to complete scientific survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex
A Varanasi court on October 5 granted four more weeks to the Archaeological Survey of India to complete the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex and submit its report, and added that the duration of the survey will not be extended beyond this. Government counsel Rajesh Mishra said that District Judge A.K. Vishvesh accepted their appeal to extend the period of the ongoing survey by four more weeks during a hearing on a plea by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Calcutta High Court has said that the ED can consider issuing fresh summons to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee if it is not satisfied with the documents submitted by him in connection with the alleged school jobs scam in West Bengal. The ED had on October 4 summoned Mr. Banerjee to appear before it in Kolkata on October 9, after he skipped the October 3 summons to participate in a TMC protest rally in New Delhi, demanding immediate release of Central funds due to the State.
Man arrested at London pro-Khalistan protest over Indian mission attack
Scotland Yard has arrested a man on suspicion of “violent disorder” in connection with an attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March this year. The Metropolitan Police said the man, who was arrested during a protest outside India House on Monday, was held in connection with a protest on March 19 and has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
U.S. waives 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction in South Texas
The Biden administration announced it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Ocotber 4, marking the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency. The Department of Homeland Security posted the announcement on the U.S. Federal Registry with few details outlining the construction in Starr County, Texas, which is part of a busy Border Patrol sector seeing “high illegal entry.”
1 dead, over 300 injured as Typhoon Koinu sweeps parts of Taiwan
Typhoon Koinu swept southern Taiwan on October 5, killing one person and injuring more than 300 as it brought pounding rain and record-breaking winds to the island, leading to school and office closures. One person was killed by flying glass in the central city of Taichung and at least 304 were injured around the island, Taiwan’s fire department said. Gusts of wind downed trees and caused damage to some buildings.
Two of every five amphibians threatened with extinction, reveals study
A new paper analysing two decades of data from around the world has found that climate change is emerging as one of the biggest threats to frogs, salamanders, and caecilians. The study is based on the second global amphibian assessment coordinated by the Amphibian Red List Authority, a branch of the Amphibian Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission and managed by Re:wild, a wildlife conservation group.
Asian Games | Compound archers secure men, women team gold, make it three in a row
The women’s combine emerged triumphant in an edge-of-the-seat thriller while the men’s outfit secured the top prize without fuss as Indian compound archers swept all three gold medals on offer in team events, further bettering their best-ever show at the Asian Games, in Hangzhou on October 5. The women’s compound team edged Chinese Taipei by the thinnest of margins, securing the gold medal win by just one point with Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur shooting 60 out of 60 in the final round of a heart-stopping final.
Asian Games | India wins 20th gold medal as Dipika-Harinder clinch mixed team squash title
India’s Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu won the squash mixed doubles gold at the Asian Games after warding off a last minute challenge from their Malaysian opponents in the final here on October 5. The Indians eked out a 11-10 11-10 win over Aifa Binti Azman and Mohammad Syafiq Bin Mohd Kamal in 35 minutes. The medal is India’s 20th gold at the Asian Games.
